An Ugly Yellow Tulip
by adventurecake
Summary: The Stolls play a little prank on Katie. But things go horribly wrong...for Travis.


Katie Gardner daughter of Demeter was kneeling next to a dying tree. The poor oak tree had leaf-less branches, spongy bark, and a sickly green colored sap oozing out of the bark at an uncontrollable pace. Katie had cured many trees but none had it bad as this tree did. Her hand hovered an inch from the bark. Before Katie knew it she was in a trance. Her brow knit with concentration, she chanted under her breath, until finally, the tree burst with life.

A lopsided grin appeared on her face before she passed out. 

"Katie. Earth to Katie. Do you hear me?" said a familiar face. Katie Gardner could make out the vague features of the Stoll Siblings: a mop of brown curly hair that hung in their dark blue eyes, upturned eyebrows, a crooked smile, and a permanent gleam in their eyes.

"Connor and Travis? What are you doing here?" she whispered.

Travis frowned when he heard his little brother's name first. Connor interjected noticing the look in Travis's face, "We found you passed out in front of this tree?"

"Oh yeah. The tree…did it make it?" said Katie dreamily before getting up.

They both caught each other's eye and burst out laughing. She was concerned over a tree. The look in Katie's green eyes told them that she was dead serious.

Travis was the first to stop, "Yeah, it's an umm…beautiful tree." Connor tried to conceal his laughter.

Katie's head perked up and she turned around to face the tree. He was right, she had cured the tree.

"Hey Katie,"

"Yes, Travis."

"You can do some really good plant magic,"

"agricultural," she corrected.

"Yeah, whatever." Travis said dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "I was wondering if you could turn me into a plant."

Katie's eyes widened, "I-I've never tried turning someone into a plant, that would be mean."

"Awww…come on. It's ok." Travis said coaxing her to do it.

Katie got a maniacal look in the eye and grinned, "Sure."

The brothers gave each other a high five, so far so good.

"Ok," said Connor as if he were the master in turning people into plants. "First close your eyes…"

"O-Ok," said Katie getting up and closing her eyes. She couldn't believe that she was doing this.

"Second outstretch your arms the way you do when you want to strangle us."

"I do not do that!" huffed Katie crossing her arms across her chest.

Connor sighed impatiently, "Just do it,"

"Fine," she said doing as they said to.

"Now, envision Travis turning into a tulip, an ugly yellow tulip."

"Tulips are pretty nice, especially yel–"

"Just do it!" Connor demanded, he enjoyed all of this new-found authority.

Katie fell silent and obeyed. She envisioned Travis turning into an ugly yellow tulip. "Am I done?" she asked.

"No," said Connor, "You got a well five minutes left, almost there." Connor tried not to stifle a laugh as Travis hid behind a bush. He quickly placed a potted yellow tulip on the spot that Travis was standing.

"Oh my gods, Katie. You did it!"

Katie opened her eyes and stared with disbelief at the tulip. "I-I did it?" she asked prodding the tulip with her index finger. Her eyes got that look again. "I turned Travis into a tulip!" she screamed out loud. Not watching her step Katie kicked the pot sending the tulip flying into her newly cured tree. It shattered and the tulip lay dead.

The color was drawn from her face, "H-How are we going to get him back?"

Connor frowned not having thought it out that far. He said something very intelligently, "uhhh…." He had just noticed how very pretty Katie was.

"I can't believe. I killed Travis." She said falling onto her knees in front of the tulip. "I couldn't possibly have killed Travis." She was pulling at her light brown hair.

The bush rustled and Katie got a confused look on her face. She noticed the shattered pot, since when did she produce pots? Then it struck her, Travis was messing with her again.

Katie glanced up at Conner's face the same look Travis had given her eight years ago. She got a gleam in her eye but concealed by pretending to wipe away tears.

"I guess this leaves just you and me…" 

Travis froze in the bushes this was going all wrong. He watched as his future girlfriend and brother kiss passionately. "Stop!" he said jumping out of the bushes. Katie was his all his and his younger, less attractive brother couldn't take her.

Connor staggered backwards and started grinning like a madman. Travis was going to deal with him later.

"Katie what was that?" he asked grabbing Katie by the shoulders. She looked up at him with her emerald green eyes; already she was making his knees feel a little wobbly.

She didn't answer and instead brought her face closer to Travis. Travis closed his eyes expecting a kiss when she slapped him across the cheek leaving an angry red mark across his cheek.

"Don't you ever mess with my feelings ever again!" she fumed and stomped purposely on the yellow tulip and walked away.

Connor woke up from his daydream, "What happened…?"

Travis's anger reached a boiling point. "Oh you're going to find out soon enough."

The last thing Connor Stoll felt before falling unconscious was an agonizing pain in his left eye.


End file.
